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Sea of Love Coupling: Melissa + Raj

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and whether you celebrate or find it cheesy, it’s impossible not to feel a little sweet as the holiday rolls around (even if that sweetness comes from the discount candy purchased on February 15th). We interviewed one of our favourite Toronto couples Melissa + Raj about how they spend February 14th, their best date spots in the city + why they’re sweet on each other.

How did you two meet?

  M: We met in our last year of university where we were both  studying fine art. I had noticed Raj a few months before we actually  met and had developed a secret crush on him… but was too shy to do  anything about it. We found ourselves in the same media class and were  serendipitously paired by our prof to do a project together. Here we  are thirteen years later!  

How do you two celebrate Valentine’s Day?  

M: We’ve never been big Valentine’s Day people. Though we say that  every year, and every year we do end up acknowledging the holiday in  some small way. Either with a handmade card, a love note Raj had  written on post-it notes stuck and around the house, a piece of heart shaped toast or a giant homemade chocolate chip cookie. 

R: There was one year I tried to surprise Melis with flowers, a bottle  of wine and chocolates. I came home to an apartment full of friends,  Melis had decided to throw a last minute (girls only) anti-valentine's day party.

 M: Oh man. Yeah, and the girls all made fun of you!  

If you could name just one – what would be your favourite part about each other?

  R: I love everything about Melis. She is my favourite person. Picking  one favourite thing is tough, but if I had to, it would be that she always thinks about others and puts them before herself. 

M: Raj is really an amazing guy. His ability to always see the bright  side of a situation and make me laugh even at difficult times is one  of the best things about him. (Ok, that’s two things.)  

Have any pet peeves about each other?  

M: His ability to always find the bright side! Sometimes I just need  to wallow under a dark cloud for awhile! (Also: Raj also owns a  slightly absurd number of socks. Which I find everywhere.) 

R: She is a brutal art director. Getting ideas past her is next to impossible!  

Do you two have a “song”? If so, what is it + why?  

M: I feel like this is so cliche, it’s embarrassing and I’m tempted to  lie, but I won’t. We have two songs. Human League’s Don’t You Want Me  Baby (which was spurred by an art piece Raj did while we were in  school) is a song that we regularly sing along to (and is our go-to karaoke song). And Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes holds some special  meaning to us, and was our first dance at our wedding (and is actually  a painfully long song).

 R: Especially if you’re dancing alone in front of 90 of your closest  friends + family.  

Tell Us How You’d spent the perfect day in Toronto?

M: Going out together at night is a bit of a luxury for us since we  have conflicting schedules and 2 small kids that make coordinating an  evening date a bit of a challenge. My perfect date would be simply  going out for a leisurely dinner and a walk through the city. Terroni  is a classic spot that I love, and walking west on Queen towards  Camera Bar where we got married and playing the “at this time __ years  ago” game is a pretty fun date to me. 

R: Just getting out and doing something without the kids (as much as I  love them) is awesome. Going to eat at Canteen and seeing a movie at  the TIFF Lightbox theatre (without Melissa falling asleep!) would be a great night out.

Shop our Sea Of Love Valentine’s Day collection here.

10:00am | URL: https://tmblr.co/ZXRMZx17HTdN7

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